Apply Information Systems to Soccer: A UNLV Captain’s View of the World Cup
Watch a World Cup match today, and you are not just watching a sporting event; you are witnessing a massive, real-time data processing operation. Behind every pass, sprint, and goal is a complex network of technology designed to measure performance, assist officials, and guide coaching decisions. For most fans, this technology is invisible. For Manolo Vazquez, the incoming captain of the UNLV men’s soccer team and an information systems major at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, this underlying framework is exactly what catches his eye.
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup takes center stage across North America, Vazquez represents a growing demographic of student-athletes who refuse to separate their athletic passions from their academic pursuits. By studying information systems at UNLV, he has learned to see the world’s biggest soccer tournament not just as a fan or a player, but as a systems analyst. This dual perspective offers valuable lessons for any aspiring professional looking to understand how data and technology shape high-stakes environments.
Bridging Athletic Strategy and Academic Rigor at UNLV
Soccer has always been a family affair for Vazquez. Growing up in Alcalá de Guadaíra, just outside Seville, Spain, he spent his childhood on soccer pitches. His father, Ramon Vazquez Garcia, played for the Spanish national team in the 1980s, and his older brother currently plays professionally in Portugal. Vazquez celebrated his eighth birthday watching Andrés Iniesta score the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final, a moment that cemented his lifelong connection to the sport.
However, when Vazquez transitioned from playing in Spain to competing at the collegiate level in the United States, he sought an environment that would challenge him off the field as much as on it. He found this balance at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Enrolling in the Lee Business School, he chose to major in information systems—a decision that has fundamentally altered his understanding of the game he has played his entire life.
Student-athletes often struggle to find meaningful connections between their majors and their athletic careers. Vazquez bypassed this issue by actively applying the core tenets of his business classes to his sport. The result is a more nuanced, analytical approach to soccer that prepares him for a career long after his playing days are over.
Submit your application today to explore how the Lee Business School at UNLV can complement your professional ambitions.
Develop an Analytical Mindset on the Field
Vazquez plays as a midfielder, a position that requires constant spatial awareness and tactical discipline. When asked to describe his playing style, he points to Rodri, the Spanish midfielder renowned for controlling the tempo of a match through quiet efficiency rather than flashy plays.
“I think I am analytical,” Vazquez explains. “I like to understand what is happening in the game, not just with the ball but around it.”
This on-field tendency to read the game as a series of interconnected systems translates directly to his studies. In information systems, students learn to look beyond raw data to understand the relationships, workflows, and human elements that make a system function. For Vazquez, recognizing an opponent’s pressing trigger is not unlike identifying a bottleneck in a business process. Both require observation, pattern recognition, and a calm, calculated response.
Track Performance Using Data in College Soccer
Modern soccer programs at the collegiate level rely heavily on technology to track player performance. At UNLV, practice sessions and games generate massive amounts of data. Players wear GPS trackers that monitor their movements, recording metrics such as total distance covered, top speeds, the number of sprints, and changes in direction.
Before taking information systems courses, Vazquez viewed these statistics as simple reflections of his effort. Now, he evaluates them differently. He understands that data collection is only the first step in a much larger information pipeline.
“In information systems, you learn that data by itself is not enough,” Vazquez notes. “You have to know where it comes from and how to use it in a way that actually helps people make decisions.”
This concept is critical in sports analytics. A dashboard showing that a player ran 10 kilometers during a match is useless if the coaching staff cannot contextualize that data. Did the player run efficiently? Were those sprints made in offensive transitions or defensive recovery? Information systems teach students how to design dashboards and data architectures that present actionable intelligence, rather than just numbers. Professors in the program, such as Ruizhi “Ben” Yu, emphasize that technology is a tool to support human decision-makers, not to replace them.
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about UNLV’s information systems program and how it teaches data-driven decision making.
Evaluate VAR and Decision-Making at the World Cup
Nowhere is the intersection of information systems and soccer more visible during a World Cup than the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. VAR relies on a sophisticated network of cameras, fiber-optic data transmission, and synchronized software to allow officials to review goals, penalties, and red cards.
Watching the 2026 World Cup, Vazquez found himself analyzing VAR through an academic lens. He recognized the immense technical infrastructure required to process video feeds in real time and deliver them to a referee’s headset within seconds. However, his coursework also highlighted the limitations of these systems.
Vazquez points out a crucial distinction between different types of officiating decisions. “Offside is more objective,” he says. “If you are offside, you are offside. But a penalty is different. What looks like a penalty to one person might not look like a penalty to someone else. That is where technology helps, but people still have to make the final decision.”
This distinction lies at the heart of information systems theory. Systems can be designed to handle highly structured, objective inputs—like the exact coordinates of a player’s shoulder relative to the last defender. However, when inputs are unstructured and subjective—like determining the severity of a foul or a player’s intent—human judgment remains irreplaceable. Andrew Hardin, another information systems professor at UNLV, reinforces this idea, noting that the goal of any system is to provide the most accurate data possible to reduce the margin for error, while acknowledging that human interpretation is still required for ambiguous situations.
As a player, Vazquez also acknowledges the emotional friction VAR introduces. While it increases fairness, it disrupts the spontaneous joy of scoring a goal. Understanding this trade-off is a vital component of systems design: a technically perfect system can still fail if it ignores the human experience of the end-user.
Explore our related articles for further reading on the intersection of technology, business, and sports.
Build Career Flexibility Through Business and Technology
Vazquez’s experience offers a practical blueprint for other student-athletes. Relying solely on athletic ability is a risky career strategy due to the high rate of injury and the finite nature of a playing career. By pairing his athletic background with a degree in information systems from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Vazquez is building a robust professional foundation.
The skills he is developing—data analysis, systems thinking, understanding user requirements, and evaluating technological implementations—are highly transferable. Whether he eventually moves into sports analytics, front-office management, technical consulting, or an entirely different business sector, the ability to translate raw data into strategic decisions is a valuable asset.
Furthermore, the leadership qualities required of a soccer captain—communication, accountability, and the ability to perform under pressure—complement the collaborative nature of information systems projects. In the business world, building an information system is rarely a solitary endeavor; it requires coordinating with stakeholders, developers, and end-users, much like a midfielder coordinates defenders and forwards on the pitch.
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View Global Events Through a New Lens
When Vazquez traveled to Los Angeles to watch Spain play Belgium in the 2026 World Cup, and later to Spain to watch his home country advance to the final against France, his experience was deeply emotional. The sport that gave his family so much and brought him to UNLV was once again taking center stage on the world stage.
Yet, his perspective has permanently shifted. He can still appreciate the skill of a perfectly weighted pass or the intensity of a defensive stand, but he also sees the invisible infrastructure making it possible. He sees the data pipelines feeding coaching staffs on the sidelines. He sees the semi-automated offside systems drawing virtual lines on a broadcast feed. He sees the human referees interpreting subjective data in high-pressure moments.
Earning a business degree does not require a student to abandon their passions. Instead, as Vazquez demonstrates, a rigorous academic program like the information systems major at UNLV can provide the tools to understand those passions on a much deeper level. The World Cup will always be a celebration of global soccer, but for those with the right training, it is also a masterclass in data, technology, and the enduring need for human judgment.
